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There are some Facebook groups specifically for people who have had gastrectomies, both total and partial, and that may provide better context and patient experience than a basic WLS group like this. That said, it sounds to me, in my non MD view, that you may have some kind of stricture, where the stomach has twisted or folded over in itself owing to it now odd geometry; the sudden onset leads me to this type of conclusion. What you have had surgically is not a classic sleeve gastrectomy (most likely, at least) but rather some variation, particularly if they were trying to minimize the amount of stomach they were removing. That puts it outside the normal bariatric experience base. Frequently what is done in these cases is a partial gastrectomy that is more akin to an RNY gastric bypass, where they remove the lower part of the stomach including the pyloric valve, form a pouch with the remaining stomach and tie the exit some distance down the intestine. This, of course, depends upon where the tumor is, how much they need to remove, and surgeon's preference and experience. We rarely see these problems these days with a conventional WLS sleeve as they are fairly cookie cutter and routine once the surgeon has done a few dozen of them, but it does happen occasionally early on owing to inflammation from the surgery, but that usually resolves itself in a couple of weeks or so. The RNY type procedures are somewhat prone to strictures around the joint between the stomach pouch and intestine from scar tissue if that is the type of configuration that you have. The endoscopy (or a barium swallow test) should provide some answers, though I am a bit surprised that they aren't expediting that considering the situation. Hopefully you can get some answers soon.

Oh snap you all! I just had my psych eval last Wednesday and I just got the call that my surgery (revision) is scheduled for November 1st!

Confused like the others. So they reversed the bypass and made a sleeve? I have read about it but it is difficult and rare. I'm surprised they didn't do a DS or even a TORe revision which are more effective and more common for RNY revisions. Whoever said the pouch or stomach (stoma and even the intestines, for that matter)don't stretch is wrong because they absolutely do if you constantly overeat. I have a RNY, and I can eat fried foods, junk food without getting sick at all. Not everyone dumps so one can't rely on getting sick if they don't stick to plan.

I've heard of RNY to DS (which has a sleeved stomach and a (mostly) bypassed small intestine), but not an RNY to just a plain sleeve. Interesting...

In the first few weeks after my bypass I kept choking on slime in my throat and that was also coming up when I was heaving. The surgeon said that I had a lot of mucus and that's what was coming up. I wonder if Carafate is something would help the acid issue you are having. Good luck, I hope you find some relief.

Ok so you did not get weight loss surgery for the weight loss. It was due to this tumor on your stomach. Ok now i get ya. You may need to end up getting revised to bypass if your reflux is getting this bad. Its always a fear for most that get the sleeve on having to revise it to bypass and its something i fear because my insurance does not cover these surgeries. Maybe talk to your doctor about other PPI medications. There are better ones than Omeprazole.

It's unusual to go that direction, but sometimes necessary if the RNY needs to be reversed - something needs to be done to help keep the weight off, though what I have seen done more (though much more complex) is going beyond a sleeve to the DS. Both the sleeve and RNY are similar metabolically, so one doesn't usually work much better than the other if weight regain was the problem. What the OP seems to be referring to in her dissatisfaction is the matter that dumping is rare with the sleeve based procedures but more common with the pouch type procedures such as the RNY, and some surgeons use that as a marketing point for the RNY - a form of aversion therapy. Unfortunately, dumping is not universal with the RNY (maybe 30% or so) so it's nothing to depend on as a weight maintenance tool - those who need it most will likely not dump; it sounds like the OP was one of the "lucky" ones who did. Perhaps the OP should look into a DS, as that is fairly straightforward to do once the sleeve is done, and most any good DS surgeon should be able to put her sleeve right - it doesn't sound like it was done right in the first place. While a straightforward procedure, the sleeve does take practice to get consistently right, particularly if the surgeon is having to reconstruct the stomach first as with such a revision.

A bypass is usually revised to a sleeve if the bypass fails: weight gain, unmanageable vitamin malabsorption issues, excessive dumping complications,... Much like a sleeve can be revised to bypass because of weight gain, GERD, etc, As others have said, any weight loss surgery can fail if you don't make permanent changes to how, what & why you eat. Post surgical benefits like loss of appetite & your restriction don’t last. They should help you to kick start your weight loss & give you time to assess your eating & establish new eating habits. Sounds like you relied on the side effects of your bypass to influence what you ate. I’d expect your bypass would have failed sooner if you didn’t experience dumping (50-60% don’t with bypass). You mentioned your tummy has stretched. It does because it is a muscle & stretches & contracts. Can’t believe any doctor would say it can’t. Consistently eating larger portions will cause it to stretch more & contract less. But is your tummy as large as it was before you had either surgery or about the size of someone who never had a weight issue? The success you have with either surgery is dependent upon you, with consideration of any complications you may have of course. We all have our reasons for choosing the surgery we did & the effort we put in to make changes are reflected in the success we have or didn’t have. Excluding the life changes that can sometimes sabotage our intentions. I chose sleeve because of the lower risk of malabsorption & dumping. I lost all my weight & more. I don’t eat like friends & family who carry weight. I don’t eat exactly like friends & family who never carried weight either. I have to work a little harder & listen more carefully to my body (what it needs, how it reacts, etc.) because it’s easier for me to gain weight. I’m sorry you are unhappy with your revision.

Who are you telling? We know that's the official name for the bypass.

I have never heard of bypass to sleeve. Would be great for you to tell us more. I would think that would be difficult to do considering the anatomy of both surgeries. Committing to changing your lifestyle and dealing with the underlying issues with food is hard work. you can out eat any surgery! Gastric sleeve, d/s, bypass etc are all just tools to help you be able to better control your consumption of calories . Personally, my issues with food brought me to this weight and will bring me back to it if I do not continue to work on and control my food issues. I have seen a few people I know eat themselves obese again after bypass. (One with bypass resumed her constant Dr Pepper drinking two weeks in because she “couldn’t live” without several cans a day. Surprise surprise she didn’t loose as much as she thought and is creeping back). Sleeve does work well for a majority of people, especially those who make the changes. I hope you are finding a path to achieve what you want.

Yeah, usually it's a revision from sleeve to bypass. I've never heard of a bypass to sleeve revision. How does that work?

never really heard of people going from bypass to a sleeve revision. dont really get how that works because a sleeve is basically getting rid of 85% of your stomach and giving you a sleeve. Bypass is even more restrictive with a smaller pouch but the other part of the stomach remains. So they just removed that other part of the stomach i am guessing?

From what I understand, a couple reasons why some have gerd after bypass (although extremely rare) is because their surgeons made the roux limb too short or that your LES isn't functioning properly and letting your stomach contents back into your esophagus . Perhaps you can have speak to your doctor (or see a second opinion). I sure hope you get it resolved.

When you have an unusual situation such as you have, I have found it useful to get second and even third opinions. A general or general GI surgeon may not have that much experience with bariatric patients, and a strict bariatric surgeon may not have run into this type of problem before (though is more likely to be familiar with such complications. Is this a problem with something that's odd about you, or was there something odd about the way the bypass revision was done - good to get a fresh set of bariatric eyes on that to check. Is it a hiatal hernia - some bariatric surgeons have a hard time dealing with them, (and some don't...) and likewise some general surgeons may have a hard time dealing with that in a bariatric patient. A regional cancer center with a GI department can be a good place to consult, as they tend to have experience with a broader set of unusual cases, and they also usually have an associated bariatric department. I ran into an odd cancer situation a few years ago (thankfully fairly minor and early), such that even a major center might see one or two per year, and was a subject of one of the department's monthly meeting where the doctors all get together and discuss their "interesting" patients and brainstorm different approaches to the problem. You may need that level of "interest" to solve your problem hopefully not,) but it's good to be able to tap into that level of resource if it's needed. Good luck in finding a solution...

Iv'e had BOTh the ruen-y bypass surgery that was successful FOR over 10 years, after having a baby, gaining weight back and having vitamin deficiency issues I had a revision to a gastric sleeve. The sleeve has been a joke, there is no stopping me from over eating sweets or fried foods, I was sick when I ate those things with a ruen-y. I had an upper gi last week (I am 7 years post op of revision) Dr says my stomach looks like any other non surgery stomach he sees. So much for my surgery dr saying stomachs dont stretch. 1.Ruen-y is more evasive but it keeps you from eating sweets/fried foods without becoming so ill you have to lay down for 2 hours. (not dangerous, just very uncomfortable) 2.If you have weight loss surgery be SURE to have lipo suction after you've lost most of y our weight. Once you grow a fat cell you NEVER loose it unless you have it removed by having lipo suction or cool sculpting. A fat cell will lay flattened until you have extra calories that need stored then they pop right up. Get rid of them b&&*$ right away, you can still grow more cells if you over eat but it takes time to grow them new, old cells are like little saboteurs waiting to fill up again. 3. If you don't like aerobic activity try chill-aerobics. Sit somewhere cold.. shiver and ur body burns fat. 15 min. of shivering equals 30min,. of aerobic activity. Your body will burn fat to try and warm you up. (it's actually opposite in a polar bears body)

I had mine done in Tijuana, Mexico almost 3 weeks ago. It cost me 6320.00 American dollars plus my travel there by plane to San Diego, California where a driver picks you up from the airport and takes you across the border. I chose Frontier airlines and it was about 250 for a round trip ticket. All was very professional and safe. They take better care of you than any hospital I've ever been to in the USA. My doctor was Dr. Papilla and he was wonderful. You can even purchase your surgery video after its all done if you want. That is 50 bucks. I chose to have my after care meds delivered to the hospital for 180 bucks but you could get a prescription instead if you prefer. Its a very seamless experience and I have already lost 50 pounds since I started this journey. I started at 318 pounds and today weighed in at 268 pounds. That includes the preoperative diet that started 4 weeks prior to surgery. The day I weighed in for surgery (September 6th 2022) I was a whopping 295. My diabetes is gone, my fatty liver is reversed and my vision has returned almost completely (I can read without my glasses again) and the swelling in my legs is nearly gone. I have a personalized diet plan with their dietitian and they are still keeping in touch with me. I am so pleased with them. I had surgery at Hopsital CIBA through a company based in California called Be Slim Bariatrics. They ONLY do bariatric surgeries. The doctor will approve you for the surgeries he sees fit vased on your medical application and you can choose the one you want to go with. I chose Gastric bypass instead of the sleeve since I researched it and found that it was more likely to reverse diabetes. I took the gamble and feel like I have WON! The doctor speaks English and most of the nurses do too. I put a translator on my phone and we had no issues. I do not regret this decision and I would do it all over again. My only regret is having waited so long to jump on it. Beslimbariatrics.com It literally is saving my life. Health insurance in Texas said its purely cosmetic and refused to even consider it. I feel alive again. Diabetes was literally killing me. If you have any questions please let me know. I was scared to go but after researching for almost a year I made the decision to leap. I figured that I was dying anyway and I would rather die trying than to sit back and wait for diabetes to kill me first. Oh and the hotel they put you in the night before surgery was the nicest place I have ever stayed. I literally felt like a movie star. Its gorgeous. They transport you to the hotel and to the hospital. Its called the Quartz Hotel in Tijuana, Mexico. Look it up. I couldn't have asked for a better experience. Sent from my SM-N960U using BariatricPal mobile app

it's pretty uncommon. Bypass usually cures (if not greatly improves) it.

I was definitely not told when I had my revision from sleeve to bypass that there was a chance I would still have GERD. I’m sure it’s not super common, but it has been a huge struggle and I hate the idea of being on a high dose of PPIs for the rest of my life that don’t even control it well. I’m also a bit nervous about the insurance issue. I don’t know if the Linx will be covered or not and it would suck to have to pay a ton out of pocket for it.

had no idea you could get GERD after bypass. That was the whole point of doing that. as for the linx i was looking into that a couple months ago. Its interesting but also very odd lol. I checked out how much that would cost (I am self pay) and i think the surgery for that was like 14K.

Wow - sorry to hear you are dealing with this. Bypass usually cures (or greatly improves) GERD, so I'm so sorry it didn't do the trick for you. I've heard of Linx but don't know that much about it - but anything that helps with the GERD is probably not a bad idea. That can evolve in Barrett's esophagus (which in turn can evolve into esophagus cancer) if unmanaged - so I'd be inclined to do whatever they recommend. Again, I'm so sorry you're dealing with this!!

Hi everyone, I had my sleeve surgery in 2014, and revised to bypass in 2017 because of severe GERD. Before my revision, I was vomiting up food and had horrible reflux, and the revision did help some with my symptoms. I have been on a PPI since my revision, and for the last couple of years my GERD has gotten a lot worse and I am dealing with a lot of burning and gagging at night on acid despite being on 40mg of omeprazole and pepcid twice a day. I have a consult with a doctor in early October to talk about the Linx surgery as a possible option, and I was wondering if anyone has experienced something similar or contemplated the Linx after having a revision to bypass. I can’t find any information about bypass patients having Linx online, and obviously having another surgery makes me nervous and is not ideal. I am tired of the contact burning and need to be on so many medications, but I know Linx can have side effects and I am just trying to weigh my options. Thanks so much!

That is very wrong. When you are self pay... You get the cost of the surgery. and for self pay patients. You need to pay before you even can schedule the surgery. i was self pay. I got my quote. I did gastric sleeve. For Bypass it was around $24K. and as for the pre op testing. Almost every surgeon has them. I had to do them. EKG, Xray, Blood work, Psyc Eval ect... All those things i had to pay additionally but it wasnt that expensive. Xray was 50 bucks... EKG was 60, psyc eval was $600. now i do have health insurance but they dont cover the surgery but it did cover some of the pre op testing. Because my EKG came back with issues i had to see a cardiologist and get a nuclear stress test done. Which cost me around $500 out of pocket after my insurance. So after i had surgery. I saw my hospital billed my insurance for $45K which they denied. After i found out i called the hospital and it was a mistake. But you should not be getting any kind of bills after the surgery if you are self pay and paid before surgery. Get a itemized bill and make sure you are getting the SELF PAY Rate... Because my gastric sleeve surgery self pay rate (Which i am posting a picture) which is in the $18K range... With insurance it would have been over $45K... Most hospitals have discounted self pay rates.

My MIL had her bypass surgery in her 60s and that was in 2010. She is doing fabulous and it has definitely added years to her life. Her surgeon is the one who preformed my sleeve surgery earlier this month. I was approved to be off work for 3 weeks, but I know I could have gone back sooner. I have a desk job. I go back this Wednesday. Make sure you do take the time off you need to heal and to adjust to your new eating schedule. I honestly think getting back to work will help me with that schedule. I know I have had a harder time getting my liquids in. Good luck. I hope your daughter can be supportive. I just know I am thankful my MIL’s is thriving after her surgery and look forward to the same for myself. Good luck 😊

Hello, I’m 10 days post op. My question is about the cost of the surgery. Are there any self-pay patients out there? I began this process in January of this year. Started with my local hospital and was given a quote of $35,000 which is due to the pre-op requirements such as psych eval, endoscopy, sleep study, etc. I then reached out to a bariatric center about 5 hours away and they quoted me $25,000 and didn’t require the same pre-op items. I went with this program because the doctor has been doing bariatric surgeries for over 25 years. I prepaid the surgeon $4400 and the hospital said I needed to prepay $19,100. A week after getting home, I am now getting billed an additional $31,000. More than double my quote. They told me those quotes are only estimates and that the cost of the surgery can vary greatly based on complications. The thing is, I had no complications and even was released a day early. They are sending it to the higher ups for them to “review”. This whole thing has been stressful and affecting my recovery. I wouldn’t have had the surgery if I knew it was going to cost me over $54,000 because I wouldn’t have been able to afford it. Just looking for some prices to compare to. I’m in Oregon Thanks!

https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/gastric-bypass-surgery/in-depth/gastric-bypass-diet/art-20048472 this has general guidelines for amounts